CCN talk February 23, 2018

Marcel van Gerven

Neural neural networks as a window on human cognition

Time: 4:00-5:00

Place: Moore Hall, room 202

Abstract

In past years, modern neural networks have led to major breakthroughs in various areas of research. In the Artificial Cognitive Systems lab we have embraced the use of neural networks to further our understanding of human cognition and endow machines with cognitive abilities. In this talk, I will touch upon the different ways in which neural networks can be used as a tool in neuroscience to model neural information processing. Particularly, I will describe our use of neural networks to construct encoding models in various domains. Next, I will describe how neural networks can be used to generate state of the art reconstructions of internal representations from brain activity patterns. I will also touch upon our recent work which uses neural networks to restore function in the blind and create empathic robots that are able to recognize someone's personality.